FIFTY YEARS OF A SHOWMAN'S LIFE 



by the award of the first prize to a woman. The 

 Society and agriculturists generally were so con- 

 vinced of the value of the competition that it 

 was accorded a permanent place in the Society's 

 prize sheet. The show was further impressed 

 upon the memory of those who attended it owing 

 to the meteorological conditions during that week, 

 for it was held in the midst of a heat-wave sug- 

 gestive of the Tropics, and which resulted in 

 several cases of sunstroke. Then the show dwells 

 also in memory in connection with a world-wide 

 catastrophe, for in the midst of it a telegram 

 reached the yard announcing France's declaration 

 of war against Prussia. 



Among my other notes of the show, I find 

 some particulars of sales effected in the yard, 

 which may be worth recalling for purposes of 

 comparison. A short-horned yearling heifer, 

 " Knightly 2nd," bred and exhibited by Mr. 

 Mclntosh, of Havering Park, Eomford, and 

 awarded a first prize, was sold for five hundred 

 guineas, to go to New York. Mr. Bruce's short- 

 horn bull, " Scotsman," a first-prize winner, 

 bred by the Duke of Buccleuch, fetched two 

 hundred guineas, to go to Canada. Two hundred 

 and fifty guineas was offered for Colonel Townley's 

 bull-calf, " Townley Oxford," a commended ex- 

 hibit, and Mr. Middleton's two commended Channel 

 Island cows realized one hundred and forty guineas 

 each. There was at that time a greater demand 

 for pure-bred shorthorns than had ever been 

 known before. This was borne out previous to 

 the show by the refusal of Mr. T. C. Booth of two 

 thousand guineas for " Lady Fragrant," and his 



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